The nation’s Covid-19 tally has been kept at 288 since Thursday evening.

Of these, 241 have recovered, including eight announced Friday, and there are 47 active patients left.

The latest infections are 17 Vietnamese citizens repatriated from the UAE.

Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said Friday that it is possible more infections will be recorded among those coming or returning from abroad. However, this should not be a major public concern because everyone entering Vietnam will be quarantined and tested for the Covid-19 virus, he added.

On Friday evening, a flight landed at the Van Don airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh, repatriating 340 Vietnamese citizens from the U.S.

Vietnam has been operating flights to bring back Vietnamese citizens who want to return home to avoid confronting the pandemic abroad.

The number of people under quarantine in the country has dropped to 14,000 - 175 in hospitals, more than 6,000 in isolation camps and the rest at home.

The Covid-19 pandemic has spread to 212 countries and territories, and reported deaths have reached almost 276,000.